Before you click away, it's not like I'm talking about sine/cosine, or anything like that. This is something that occurs in my house everyday, and it occured to me that there was a direct correlate.
My Bed.
I have found that there is a direct correlation between the degree to which my bed is made and the level of busy-ness within which I am operating. There are days when my bed looks great--corners tucked in, sheets match bedspread (more or less--it's not Pottery Barn), pillows fluffed and the bed looks really inviting. Then, last week, in the middle of my week from hell, I noticed how bad the bed was appearing. The pillows weren't in place, and since I have a couple blankets on the bed due to the cold, the blankets were not put on right and hanging off the edges in places. The sheet was not folded over the top blanket. That day I was working for part, and Christmas shopping the rest. Piano lessons followed that night. There was one day in which the quilt was strewn across the bed, half covering the pillows which were coming out of the cases already. the blankets completely in view, sheet touching the floor on one side of the bed, and not even under the blanket on the other side. That day, was apparently last Thursday, given what I wrote on this blog, because I was not a happy kid. I worked one job in the morning; one in the afternoon; popcorn obligation and prep for Friday (I would be gone all day at a conference). Then Sunday, the busiest day on record, the bed wasn't even made at all, which is completely against my grain. That's how I know I was too busy. I need a made bed to feel like the day is ready to go. I have this thing about making the bed, even before I go to bed, if that's how busy I am. I want everything evenly distributed and ready for sleep.
Today, my bed is made. It's not perfect, but it's ready for the day. This is my barometer of busy-ness, and I'm glad to say the levels are dropping, exponentially. By next Monday, I expect my bed will look close to perfect again.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Here's my list of things on my mind (and by the way, I stink at keeping up with a blog):
1. I love Christmas carols. Hands down.
2. Why is it that when I'm on "fast forward," he's on "rewind?" I swear, he knows that I'm in a hurry and deliberately tries to impede it.
3. It stinks that I'm not even enjoying my kids right now--they are bugging me with bad attitude, rude behavior and sloppy living.
4. I'm totally swamped and not enjoying the Christmas season. That totally stinks.
5. Here's wishing I had never taken on the popcorn sales, working extra, 2 classes, a Christmas party and Christmas program all coming to fruition within 10 days' time.
6. Here's wishing I had the time to give my friend a proper birthday and Christmas. Still figuring that one out. I think I will send her kids the stuff to do it.
7. I could really use some sleep.
8. What do the following have in common?
a dead phone line
a broken oven
no water
a burst oven light bulb that has shattered inside my oven
----------all happened at my house within 3 days' time.
Time for a glass of wine and some Top Chef, taped last night. Don't call me. :)
1. I love Christmas carols. Hands down.
2. Why is it that when I'm on "fast forward," he's on "rewind?" I swear, he knows that I'm in a hurry and deliberately tries to impede it.
3. It stinks that I'm not even enjoying my kids right now--they are bugging me with bad attitude, rude behavior and sloppy living.
4. I'm totally swamped and not enjoying the Christmas season. That totally stinks.
5. Here's wishing I had never taken on the popcorn sales, working extra, 2 classes, a Christmas party and Christmas program all coming to fruition within 10 days' time.
6. Here's wishing I had the time to give my friend a proper birthday and Christmas. Still figuring that one out. I think I will send her kids the stuff to do it.
7. I could really use some sleep.
8. What do the following have in common?
a dead phone line
a broken oven
no water
a burst oven light bulb that has shattered inside my oven
----------all happened at my house within 3 days' time.
Time for a glass of wine and some Top Chef, taped last night. Don't call me. :)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Words to live by
I'm exploring the use of different words. Sounds pretty dull, I suppose, but these are the things I think about while in the shower, or laying in bed awake, or while reading other people's random postings on Facebook, or whenever else I have free brain time.
This week's word is appropriate: Thankful.
I started by looking up the definition of thankful, and found out a few things. Thankful generally means an appreciation for something, or an acknowledgement of a benefit. I found out that grateful cannot be separated from thankful. In fact, gratitude is an expression of thankfulness. A lot of people are saying things like "I'm thankful for..." at this time of the year, but I'm not sure everyone realizes there must be a recipient of the thanks. This "direct object," (for all you english majors), receives the thanks. "Thank you for the gift you sent." You, in the last sentence, receives the thanks. In a sentence like "I am thankful for...." who is the recipient of thanks? Who has delivered a kindness to you?
In other examples, such as appreciation, an object may not need to be implied. One person can appreciate, or enjoy, or be grateful for something in one's life. Appreciation means you enjoy it and find it enjoyable or useful. Thankful is another thing entirely.
To me, there can only be one recipient in that sentence: God. I'm thankful for the house over my head. Who am I thanking? Who bestowed this benefit to me? God did. I suppose one might argue that it was his or her own sweat and tears involved, but for even the opportunity to get that house over one's head, or the benefits of good marriage, good health, plenty of food, lots of friends and good laughs, we have only one Being to thank, and that would be God.
This week's word is appropriate: Thankful.
I started by looking up the definition of thankful, and found out a few things. Thankful generally means an appreciation for something, or an acknowledgement of a benefit. I found out that grateful cannot be separated from thankful. In fact, gratitude is an expression of thankfulness. A lot of people are saying things like "I'm thankful for..." at this time of the year, but I'm not sure everyone realizes there must be a recipient of the thanks. This "direct object," (for all you english majors), receives the thanks. "Thank you for the gift you sent." You, in the last sentence, receives the thanks. In a sentence like "I am thankful for...." who is the recipient of thanks? Who has delivered a kindness to you?
In other examples, such as appreciation, an object may not need to be implied. One person can appreciate, or enjoy, or be grateful for something in one's life. Appreciation means you enjoy it and find it enjoyable or useful. Thankful is another thing entirely.
To me, there can only be one recipient in that sentence: God. I'm thankful for the house over my head. Who am I thanking? Who bestowed this benefit to me? God did. I suppose one might argue that it was his or her own sweat and tears involved, but for even the opportunity to get that house over one's head, or the benefits of good marriage, good health, plenty of food, lots of friends and good laughs, we have only one Being to thank, and that would be God.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cruising toward the finish line
Here it is, literally past the middle of the month already. Next week is Thanksgiving, then Advent starts, and before you know it, we are at Christmas. I am bound and determined to slow this train down, but there are many factors working against me, including my own self! The kids have certainly chipped in to make sure Mom's been busier than usual:
November 5: ER visit for the Beav. This was one of those days I had scheduled out to the very last minute, because we had appts in the morning, afternoon, and a wedding in the evening. Why not squeeze in an ER visit, right? Why not--we did it, though, and now Beav joins the others in the "Forehead Scar Club." So, we didn't make it to the wedding, but we did make the reception, and that was a nice night out--good food, good people--congrats to our new neighbors!
November 11: ER visit for Bear. This was an interesting one, because I got called into school to pick him up because he was having trouble breathing, like an asthma attack (only he doesn't have asthma). Well, I come to find out that he had been at the nurse's office the DAY BEFORE for the SAME PROBLEM and I received no notification about it until I picked him up on Friday. What's up with that? I would think breathing problems are a special problem that maybe Mom and Dad should know about. Maybe I'm crazy. This wasn't the first time that I wasn't notified, too--that's a little frightening. Anyway, went the Dr, got a nebulizer, went home, into the ER at 1am, d/c'd at 5am, sleep until 8:30 am, into work at the hospital shortly thereafter. Thank you, St. Anthony's, because you all have been great to deal with as pediatric ER visits go, these two were very smooth.
November 18: Lunch at school with Buzz. I made this pact that I'd bring McD's to school on the half days, and now I'm being held to this. It wasn't so bad, just added another wrinkle to the day. But, we have cub scouts tonite and I've taken on this popcorn sale thing, and while it hasn't been bad so far, I still wonder: "What on earth were you thinking?" Let's just take a look at what else Jenny has volunteered for in the upcoming month ahead:
1. Trip to Amish store with former neighbor (actually, I'm looking forward to this)
2. Christmas program at church
3. Christmas party for Bear
4. Popcorn sale (goes on through January)
5. School library volunteer
Maybe that isn't so bad, but add on working, working extra at the preschool, 2 classes I'm taking in December, Beav's Christmas concert at school, it's starting to WEAR ME OUT just reading it. I also like to do a picture of the boys for Christmas cards, and usually by now I have the photo all ready to go out.
Next, I got some bad news. My college roommate emailed and told me she has breast cancer, and it happens to be the genetically linked one that is especially virilant--she is responding to treatment, and I pray that she continues to and is eventually cured. Such a scary thought, and among all these things plus apparent PMS, I have been quite teary all day. I worry about my friend, which makes me worry about myself, my future/my family's future. I am sad for my friend Shannon, who is especially sad this week, noting the one-year anniversary of her husband's diagnosis and beginning of his eventual passing. I'm sad for my friend, Sarah, and the loss of her brother-in-law, quite suddenly. I'm sad for my friend Katie, who's just trying to be a good mom despite the obstacles set in front of her. I'm sad for my church, and the fact that it is hurting so badly, there may not be one in a year's time. I'm scared for my husband's future with his job. The list goes on and on and on.
Trying to find the silver lining in a sad time is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But, I've come up with this list to counteract the bad stuff. I've been enjoying being at home more and more, just doing laundry and managing household appts and stuff makes me feel good. I've been doing great on curtailing spending--though I think I can still do better. I like playing games with Beav in the morning, like Uncle Wiggily or Chutes and Ladders. I like walking the dog, getting lunch with a friend, driving to piano lessons and listening to Bear play "O Come All Ye Faithful" for his teacher. I like going to assemblies at school for the boys, checking for emails from my sister and my friend Tim, due to come in town in a few weeks. I love laughing with my husband, and it seems like we do pretty well with that lately, even if he periodically flies off the handle about nothing in particular. I like Jane Austen, Rachael Ray's magazine, and my Friday newspaper. Pumpkin spice latte is a good reason to get up in the morning, and Nero D'avola is a good reason to relax at night. Top Chef is coming to a close--that is a bit of a bummer because I'll need a new show, but "My Name is Earl" is on DVD. Christmas music and soft lights against a dark night make me feel cozy and safe. Hugs from each of my boys is enough to make my heart dance, and each one has brought me an extra smile lately: Bear's missing teeth, Scrabble with Buzz, and a walk with the Beav. Good times. Thank you for all these things, Lord, when I feel down and depressed. Thanks for sending me things to brighten my day.
See? My good list is longer than the bad.
November 5: ER visit for the Beav. This was one of those days I had scheduled out to the very last minute, because we had appts in the morning, afternoon, and a wedding in the evening. Why not squeeze in an ER visit, right? Why not--we did it, though, and now Beav joins the others in the "Forehead Scar Club." So, we didn't make it to the wedding, but we did make the reception, and that was a nice night out--good food, good people--congrats to our new neighbors!
November 11: ER visit for Bear. This was an interesting one, because I got called into school to pick him up because he was having trouble breathing, like an asthma attack (only he doesn't have asthma). Well, I come to find out that he had been at the nurse's office the DAY BEFORE for the SAME PROBLEM and I received no notification about it until I picked him up on Friday. What's up with that? I would think breathing problems are a special problem that maybe Mom and Dad should know about. Maybe I'm crazy. This wasn't the first time that I wasn't notified, too--that's a little frightening. Anyway, went the Dr, got a nebulizer, went home, into the ER at 1am, d/c'd at 5am, sleep until 8:30 am, into work at the hospital shortly thereafter. Thank you, St. Anthony's, because you all have been great to deal with as pediatric ER visits go, these two were very smooth.
November 18: Lunch at school with Buzz. I made this pact that I'd bring McD's to school on the half days, and now I'm being held to this. It wasn't so bad, just added another wrinkle to the day. But, we have cub scouts tonite and I've taken on this popcorn sale thing, and while it hasn't been bad so far, I still wonder: "What on earth were you thinking?" Let's just take a look at what else Jenny has volunteered for in the upcoming month ahead:
1. Trip to Amish store with former neighbor (actually, I'm looking forward to this)
2. Christmas program at church
3. Christmas party for Bear
4. Popcorn sale (goes on through January)
5. School library volunteer
Maybe that isn't so bad, but add on working, working extra at the preschool, 2 classes I'm taking in December, Beav's Christmas concert at school, it's starting to WEAR ME OUT just reading it. I also like to do a picture of the boys for Christmas cards, and usually by now I have the photo all ready to go out.
Next, I got some bad news. My college roommate emailed and told me she has breast cancer, and it happens to be the genetically linked one that is especially virilant--she is responding to treatment, and I pray that she continues to and is eventually cured. Such a scary thought, and among all these things plus apparent PMS, I have been quite teary all day. I worry about my friend, which makes me worry about myself, my future/my family's future. I am sad for my friend Shannon, who is especially sad this week, noting the one-year anniversary of her husband's diagnosis and beginning of his eventual passing. I'm sad for my friend, Sarah, and the loss of her brother-in-law, quite suddenly. I'm sad for my friend Katie, who's just trying to be a good mom despite the obstacles set in front of her. I'm sad for my church, and the fact that it is hurting so badly, there may not be one in a year's time. I'm scared for my husband's future with his job. The list goes on and on and on.
Trying to find the silver lining in a sad time is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But, I've come up with this list to counteract the bad stuff. I've been enjoying being at home more and more, just doing laundry and managing household appts and stuff makes me feel good. I've been doing great on curtailing spending--though I think I can still do better. I like playing games with Beav in the morning, like Uncle Wiggily or Chutes and Ladders. I like walking the dog, getting lunch with a friend, driving to piano lessons and listening to Bear play "O Come All Ye Faithful" for his teacher. I like going to assemblies at school for the boys, checking for emails from my sister and my friend Tim, due to come in town in a few weeks. I love laughing with my husband, and it seems like we do pretty well with that lately, even if he periodically flies off the handle about nothing in particular. I like Jane Austen, Rachael Ray's magazine, and my Friday newspaper. Pumpkin spice latte is a good reason to get up in the morning, and Nero D'avola is a good reason to relax at night. Top Chef is coming to a close--that is a bit of a bummer because I'll need a new show, but "My Name is Earl" is on DVD. Christmas music and soft lights against a dark night make me feel cozy and safe. Hugs from each of my boys is enough to make my heart dance, and each one has brought me an extra smile lately: Bear's missing teeth, Scrabble with Buzz, and a walk with the Beav. Good times. Thank you for all these things, Lord, when I feel down and depressed. Thanks for sending me things to brighten my day.
See? My good list is longer than the bad.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Where did that month go?
Okay, I blinked or something, because it's now November. And what a busy month it was. Bear lost 2 teeth (the front ones) and now looks like the poster child for America: red hair, blue eyes, freckles and no teeth.
We also had our first brush with flu: while the kids did get the seasonal flu shot, Buzz caught some version of some virus that left him out of commission for a few days, followed by a nasty cough for another week and a half.I celebrated another birthday--yes! And, it was the best birthday of my adulthood. Thanks, sweetie!
Trivia night went well--we reigned supreme until the 10th round, when 2 tables beat us by a point. Oh well, 3rd place is still good out of 50 tables, and my friend will benefit tremendously by everyone's generosity, so it was a great night all around!
I worked my tail feathers off, too--which was both good and crazy. It made me glad to be a stay-home mom again, once the extra work days were complete. It'll make Christmas extra nice for our house, but the time lost, the work involved to make those days go smoothly--whew! I need an assistant to get it all done!
Boooooooo---my morning radio is now ka-put. I used to enjoy my 1/2 hour with my headphones, getting lunches ready, listening to talk about nothing important, but darn entertaining, and they took it off the air. Now I'm stuck with the Today show, which is a poor substitute. Let me know if you have any suggestions for early morning radio.
I am the popcorn "kernel" for cub scouts--what did I sign up for?
One last thing--I think because we have had an incredible amount of rain this month (over 12 inches), not only are our feet sinking in mud, but my feet are sinking deeper into my mouth. I have literally, yet unintentionally, made some horrible comments over the last month, which has left me wondering if people are going to start telling me to "blankety-blank." I've tried to make my apologies where I could, but what is going on with me? Some sort of frontal-lobe malfunction, but I need to slow my mouth down considerably. Now. If I have said something to you and not made the appropriate apologies, you have it.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
A sneak peak at a busy day
October 5, 2009:
0630 Feet hit the floor, and my day begins with laundry
0700 First load finishing, making lunches
0730 Breakfast done for 3 of 5 people, more laundry going
0800 Kicking kids out to the bus, another load goes in
0830 Folding as fast as my arms can take me
0900 Upstairs, going through the kid's clothes, taking most warm weather stuff out, putting mostly cold weather stuff in
0930 Laundry, more clothes
1000 Get a drink of water, more clothes
1030 Finally! Laundry done, seasonal clothing shift done (for now!)
1100 Lunch for the littlest and myself
1130 potty break for littlest, grocery list time, coupon time
1200 Littlest is on the bus, time to hit the road
1230 SuperWal-Mart.
1330 Yes, and hour has passed and I'm done with this place.
1345 Dierberg's
1415 Aldi
1445 Home--put everything away
1530 Bus is home with kids, snack time, go through backpacks and lunchboxes
1600 Off to take son to friend's house
1610 back home, clean bathrooms
1650 Return neighbor's dog to house after littlest says, "mom, Lucy's here!"
1700 Pick up son from friend's house
1710 Scream like crazy when chipmunk runs up pants leg
1720 Frighten chipmunk with broom, dog knocks over bicycles chasing it away
1730 Time to make dinner
1740 Husband home; break up fighting children
1745 Husband breaks up fighting children
1755 Eating supper
1815 Dinner over, dishes put away, dishwasher started
1830 Picking annuals out of beds--tomorrow is yard waste day!
1900 Watering plants even though rain is predicted--you just never know.
1930 Send children in for homework, piano, showers, snacks
2000 Snack children, send to bed
2030 Lights out in littlest's room
2100 Lights out in big kid's room
2200 Jenny's asleep watching Jay Leno.
0630 Feet hit the floor, and my day begins with laundry
0700 First load finishing, making lunches
0730 Breakfast done for 3 of 5 people, more laundry going
0800 Kicking kids out to the bus, another load goes in
0830 Folding as fast as my arms can take me
0900 Upstairs, going through the kid's clothes, taking most warm weather stuff out, putting mostly cold weather stuff in
0930 Laundry, more clothes
1000 Get a drink of water, more clothes
1030 Finally! Laundry done, seasonal clothing shift done (for now!)
1100 Lunch for the littlest and myself
1130 potty break for littlest, grocery list time, coupon time
1200 Littlest is on the bus, time to hit the road
1230 SuperWal-Mart.
1330 Yes, and hour has passed and I'm done with this place.
1345 Dierberg's
1415 Aldi
1445 Home--put everything away
1530 Bus is home with kids, snack time, go through backpacks and lunchboxes
1600 Off to take son to friend's house
1610 back home, clean bathrooms
1650 Return neighbor's dog to house after littlest says, "mom, Lucy's here!"
1700 Pick up son from friend's house
1710 Scream like crazy when chipmunk runs up pants leg
1720 Frighten chipmunk with broom, dog knocks over bicycles chasing it away
1730 Time to make dinner
1740 Husband home; break up fighting children
1745 Husband breaks up fighting children
1755 Eating supper
1815 Dinner over, dishes put away, dishwasher started
1830 Picking annuals out of beds--tomorrow is yard waste day!
1900 Watering plants even though rain is predicted--you just never know.
1930 Send children in for homework, piano, showers, snacks
2000 Snack children, send to bed
2030 Lights out in littlest's room
2100 Lights out in big kid's room
2200 Jenny's asleep watching Jay Leno.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
